


When the sun goes down

by xxawalkinwonderlandxx



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Beach Sex, Best Friends to Lovers, Clarke is in love, F/M, It's her birthday, One thing leads to another, Pining, She just doesn't want to admit it, she's 21 bitches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:21:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25614250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxawalkinwonderlandxx/pseuds/xxawalkinwonderlandxx
Summary: For her birthday Clarke decides to go to the beach. It's going great, until she runs into someone she hasn't seen in three years and all of the feelings she's tried to ignore come back in full swing
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 18
Kudos: 144





	When the sun goes down

**Author's Note:**

> So, my birthday was two weeks ago and instead of me posting a fic where Clarke drags her boyfriend around for it, I decided to do a beach fic where she runs into Bellamy after not seeing him for years and they're both dancing around their feelings the entire day :)

The sun is blaring down on her as Clarke readjusts her bag on her shoulder. It’s almost like she can feel the sun beginning to sear into her skin, and she begins to wonder if she should get her friends to stop in some shade so she can reapply her sunscreen. They haven’t even gotten around to going to the water yet, but something tells her she’ll regret her decision if she doesn’t put more protection on herself soon. 

“Can we get something to eat yet?” Wells calls over his shoulder. “I’m starving.”

“He’s got a point,” Harper pushes her sunglasses further up her nose, looking around. “We’ve only had drinks and ice cream so far and that’s not really filling.”

“True.” Clarke tugs at her bottom lip with her teeth as she looks around. “What about there?” She points at a restaurant that’s on the edge of the beach, right off the road. _It’ll probably be way overpriced_.

“You’re the birthday girl.” Wells walks off the sidewalk and towards the road. “Let’s go.”

There’s sand everywhere until they actually get into the building, and then there are people everywhere. It’s obviously a popular place, but Clarke isn’t really surprised since it’s literally on the beach. She sees a lot of families eating at colorful tables, and a few people that look around her age, and then the hostess guides her, Wells, and Harper towards a table near one of the bars with a window looking out over the ocean. They’re handed their menus, and it doesn’t take long for their waitress to show up to take their drink orders, with Clarke handing her I.D. over with a smile which receives a “happy birthday” before the waitress hands it back. _I was right, they are pricey_.

“So, have you thought about where we’re going tonight?” Harper asks, looking at her over the menu. “They have a lot of bars here.”

“I’m not sure. I guess it depends on if I’m still conscious enough by the time the sun sets.” Clarke grins as their drinks are placed down in front of them, and she picks her up to take a sip. It’s cold, and fruity, and even though she can definitely taste the alcohol in it, it’s really refreshing after walking around in the sun for so long.

The sound of a large group of guys laughing catches her attention, and Clarke looks over at them, rolling her eyes in the process. _Of course, they have to be loudest in this place. The baby isn’t even making that much noise_. She can only see the faces of two of the guys, but there’s someone looking away from her with curly black hair and her heart aches. But then, he looks directly at her.

Clarke’s lips part, and her heart rate spikes as she locks eyes with the guy a couple of tables from her, and before she can even register that she’s moving, her drink is gone from her hand and she’s on her feet. He stands up, too, and before Clarke knows it, Bellamy is wrapping her up in his arms, and she buries her face in his neck as her arms wrap around his shoulders. It’s been three years since they last saw each other, and it had been another three years before that, but the last time they saw each other…he hugged her the same way he is now. He squeezes as he picks her up, and Clarke holds on as he feet lift off the ground.

“Hey, princess,” he murmurs into her shoulder, and a lump forms in her throat.

“Hey, Bell.”

When they pull apart, they smile at each other. She can see how much his skin has darkened, and his freckles stand out even more now. In her mind, she can still see him as the scrawny boy she knew in middle school.

“Happy birthday,” he grins, and Clarke’s smile widens.

“You still remember.”

“You always remembered mine.”

It’s true. Ever since they met each other when they were twelve, they’ve always remembered each other’s birthdays. Even when they weren’t talking.

“Holy shit, Bellamy.” Wells voice carries over the commotion in the restaurant, and Bellamy looks over Clarke’s shoulders.

“Hey, man.”

Wells appears at Clarke’s side and he and Bellamy give each other a quick hug, then Bellamy turns and looks at Harper.

“McIntyre.”

“You dropped off the face of the earth didn’t you?” Harper laughs as they hug, too.

“I’ve gotten that a lot actually.”

“Bellamy! Don’t be an asshole,” a guy calls from Bellamy’s table, and Bellamy laughs as he turns back to the three of them.

“Come on, let me introduce you guys to some of my friends.” Surprisingly, Bellamy’s hand finds it’s way to Clarke’s lower back as he guides them towards his table, and Clarke holds her breath until it disappears.

“Everyone, this is Clarke, Harper, and Wells. We all went to school together a long time ago.”

“Clarke?” Two guys look at each other, and Clarke smiles a little, confused.

“Yeah?”

Bellamy clears his throat, and Clarke glances at him before he starts announcing everyone. “This is Murphy, Jasper, Monty, and Miller.”

Clarke recognizes that Murphy is the one who told Bellamy to not be an asshole, and she idly wonders if he knows Bellamy well enough to understand that he’s almost incapable of not being one. The guys all say hi, and suddenly Clarke feels like she’s intruding. She hasn’t seen Bellamy since they were eighteen, and before that they had been fourteen. They aren’t technically still _friends_ , even if she doesn’t want to think about that. _We haven't really been_ friends _for a long time._

They were in seventh grade when they first met, and it was at the end of that school year that Bellamy messaged her on Facebook and asked if she wanted to start texting. It was the end of the last day of classes, and they had spent a few lunches talking to each other on and off, so she said yes. He was funny, even if he could be a an asshole most of the time, and they actually got along with one another.

So, after she said yes and they started talking, they became best friends fast. They talked almost all day every day, and when he was having trouble with a girl debating on if she wanted to date him or another guy they went to school with named Roan, she told him that he’d be better off without that drama in his life. And, them talking was nice. It went on for the entire summer, and even though Clarke expected it to stop, it didn’t. They were best friends by the time eighth grade rolled around.

They talked in the morning while waiting for their buses, and if they saw each other in the hallway then they would smile, but they were on different class “teams” and had different lunches, so they didn’t talk as much until after school. Bellamy would send her some of the stories he would write and Clarke would spend her time reading them and documenting everything she liked about it, usually urging him to write more and send her more, and in turn she sent him her songs. She never sent anyone her songs, let alone ones where she was actually _singing_ , but he seemed to like them. Of course, she was also friends with Wells, but she didn’t even send him her songs.

Things were going great, until they weren’t. It’s not necessarily that something _happened_ between the two of them. It was just that Bellamy got a girlfriend and quit talking to Clarke. Of course, she didn’t blame him for it, but he never answered her question when she asked if he was told to stop talking to her and she went as far to even ask if she had did something. But, after a while, she understood. She already went through one period where her “boyfriend” started texting her best friend and then there was something weird going on between the three of them. So, after they “broke up,” (which, how can you really break up if you only “dated” for three months when you were twelve?) the guy and her friend started dating. Shocker, right?

So, the two of them stopped talking. It wasn’t easy, since Bellamy felt like he had been a constant in her life since the beginning, but there wasn’t anything else she could do about it. Fast forward into their freshman year of high school, they talked a little again, but it wasn’t anything close to what it had been like. Just some small conversations if they saw each other before classes started. Then, he transferred. And Bellamy, being the type of person he was, he didn’t exactly have social media. He had a Facebook, but it was largely inactive for the most part unless someone tagged him in something, and so, Clarke forgot about him. Well, as much as she could, that is.

Anytime she wrote a new song, for the first few months, the thought “I wonder what—” popped into her mind and she pushed it away. Over time, it was easier for her to not want to talk to him about everything, especially since Wells was always there, but it was different with him. Wells knew her inside and out, always did, but Bellamy knew her in a different way. She could never explain it exactly, but talking to both of them was like to sides to the same coin. Both of them were her best friends, but Wells was the order and stability in her life and Bellamy was the chaos, a rebel without a cause.

For the most part, Clarke thought that they would never speak again. In fact, there was a murmur around their school at one point: “What happened to Bellamy Blake?” Then, on a really rainy day in June, when Clarke was laying down in bed after sharing a small cake with her parents before her party the next day, her phone buzzed and a name she hadn’t seen in what felt like years popped up on her screen.

_happy birthday princess_

Clarke rolled her eyes at the nickname, something Bellamy insisted on calling her after seeing her house once in a picture, but her heart began to race nonetheless.

_thanks bell_

And that was the end of that.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Clarke says, looking at everyone before turning back to Bellamy. “How long are you going to be here?”

“If you mean at the restaurant, we’re actually about to leave.” Clarke’s heart sinks. _Oh_. “But if you mean at the beach we’re going to be here for a couple of more days.”

“Really?” One of her eyebrows arch up, and she notices the way the corner of Bellamy’s mouth turns up.

“Yeah. So, maybe—”

“Is today your birthday?” Jasper asks, and Clarke turns to look at him.

“Yeah, it is.”

“ _So_ ,” Bellamy continues, “maybe we could celebrate your birthday with you tonight. Got any plans?”

“Other than getting drunk? Nope.” Clarke smirks, and Bellamy’s smile widens into a grin.

“What do you say? Ready to party with me again?”

“As long as it doesn’t end with you puking your guts up again,” she teases, and she loves when Bellamy’s laugh fills the space between them.

“I’ve gotten better. Trust me.”

“Then just try and keep up.”

Bellamy’s eyes spark as they look at each other, and Clarke feels a familiar pull she hasn’t felt in years. There was always something about Bellamy that made her excited. The _unknown_ of what would happen with him. It’s the same feeling she got when they walked the train tracks at night, talking about running away, and when she went with him to break into his mom’s boyfriend’s house to steal some alcohol. Bellamy brought the other side in her that her mother would probably gasp at.

“I think I can handle it.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see.”

Their waitress appears back at their table, and Wells and Harper make their way back to it while Clarke hugs Bellamy one last time and he pulls her phone out of her back pocket, putting his number in it before texting himself. They smile at each other one last time as his friends get up, and then Clarke is sitting back down in her chair watching them go as Bellamy turns around to look at her one last time and winks, disappearing out of the door.

When she looks back at her friends, Wells is looking at her with the biggest _I know your secret_ look and Harper is smirking around her straw. Both of them know that she used to have feelings for Bellamy when they were younger, but it’s been years since she last saw him. She was in a relationship then and she’s had another relationship since then. The feelings used to be there, sure, but not anymore. Now, as to _what_ those feelings were, she never let herself think about them too much.

The three of them order their food and talk about where else they’ll want to go today before they meet up with Bellamy and his friends, but Clarke would be lying if she said she wanted to see Bellamy sooner. _If it’s up to him, I’ll probably be parasailing within an hour even though he knows I hate heights._

“Uh-oh. It’s starting,” Wells stage whispers to Harper, and Clarke brings her attention back to her friends.

“What’s starting?”

“That far off look in your eye where you’re daydreaming about your crush,” Wells grins, and Clarke rolls her eyes.

“I haven’t seen Bellamy in _three years_ , I’m just happy he’s here.”

“In more ways than one.” Harper smirks, and Clarke can feel her cheeks heat up.

“You two are terrible.”

Her friends are laughing whenever their food gets delivered, and Clarke doesn’t say much more while they eat. Sure, Bellamy has gone from the scrawny boy he used to be when she first met him, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to jump him. Even if always did think he was cute. Well, _a little_ cute. But, who wouldn’t?

By the time they’re done eating and they’ve paid for their meals, Clarke is ready to get to the beach. Since they’ve been here for a couple of days already she isn’t as pale as she used to be, but she also doesn’t want to run the risk of getting a sunburn. When they step out of the building and get down the stairs, Clarke pulls her phone out of her pocket and checks it.

_We’re at the beach if you want to join us. I saved you a few spots_

Clarke smiles.

_We need to go change into our swimsuits but we’ll meet you there_

_Drop your pin_

“Bellamy says that they’re at the beach and they saved us some spots.” Clarke looks at her friends as she puts her sunglasses on. “I told him we need to change into our swimsuits but we’ll meet them.”

“Like we have any other choice.” Wells teases, and Clarke rolls her eyes as she leads the way back to their condo.

They don’t have very far to walk since when Clarke told her parents that she wanted to come to the beach for her birthday they insisted on getting her a room for the week, saying that she could bring whoever she wanted. It was going to be Cillian, but that didn’t exactly end well. She’s not complaining though, she loves having her friends here with her and she knows she’ll have more fun with them than she would have if he had come with her.

Clarke wastes no time changing into her swimsuit, and then they’re out of the room before she can even get sunscreen on. _I’m not going to burn before I get there_. They take the sidewalk that leads around the pool within the condominium gates and cross over the road, making their way down a sandy slope that leads to the beach. The sand is already hot against her feet and she can feel the sweat beginning to bead on her forehead as she pulls her phone out of her bag and looks at it. Apparently Bellamy and his friends are a little further down from the restaurant that they were all at a couple of hours earlier, and as she walks, Clarke spots Bellamy in the sea of people.

His black curly hair is windblown and his shirt is nowhere to be seen as he throws a foam football towards Miller who’s standing in the water. _Definitely not scrawny. Definitely hot_. _Shit._ Clarke swallows as they walk up to where their blankets and umbrellas are at, and Bellamy looks over and grins when he sees them. _Oh god_. Clarke smiles at him, too, and then he’s in front of her, holding the football in one of his hands as he takes her bag with the other.

“Set up wherever. I’m about to make a drink run.” He nods towards the beach bar that’s set up under the restaurant, and Clarke smiles.

“Oh, I’ll come with you. I just need to get some sunscreen on first.” Clarke takes her chair from Wells and digs it into the sand, and then Bellamy is handing over her bag and she pulls out her spray bottle of sunscreen.

“I’m surprised you haven’t burned yet,” Bellamy says, amusement coloring his voice. “You were always so pale.”

“Well some of us can’t be graced with perfectly tanned skin now can we?” She huffs, but it’s only when she catches Harper looking at her out of the corner of her eye that she freezes. 

“Perfect, huh?” Bellamy’s mouth is turned up in a lopsided grin, and if it wasn’t so hot, Clarke would be worried about her face turning red.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she grumbles, and then she throws her sunscreen into her bag and grabs her wallet. “Let’s go get our drinks.”

Clarke asks Harper and Wells what they want, and they just say to surprise them, and after Bellamy’s yelled something to his friends, they’re on their way to the bar. Even with her flip-flops on the sand is scalding her feet, and the wind is blowing her hair every way it can to make sure it gets in her face. Groaning, Clarke opens the zipper on her wallet and pulls out a hair tie and she stops, flipping her hair over and trying to grab it all with her hands.

“Okay, you look ridiculous.” Bellamy’s hands come out of nowhere and then he’s grabbing her hair and taking the hair tie from her, wrapping her hair in a bun. “Better?”

“Yeah, thanks.” She smiles at him, patting at the sides of her head. “How’s Octavia?”

“Still a pain in my ass if that tells you anything.” He smiles, and Clarke finds herself doing the same. She learned after a few months of them talking that he had a younger sister who he took care of a lot, and Clarke began sending him hair tutorial videos after he complained about Octavia wanting something called a dutch braid and he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Yeah, I could see that.” They make their way up the little sandy hill, the bar getting closer. “How’s school going for her?”

“Better than it went for me when we were in high school. She’s doing great and getting straight A’s, like someone else I know.”

“It wasn’t that hard, you know.”

“You’re talking to a guy who showed up hungover to take the ACT—”

“You did _not_ ,” Clarke gapes at him. “Seriously?”

“In my defense I had already taken it and got a twenty-six the summer before so I didn’t really care about it the second time around.”

“Uh-huh.” Clarke shakes her head as they get in line, and she’s grateful for the fact that they’re in the shade now.

“How are your classes going?” Bellamy asks, crossing his arms over his chest, and Clarke shrugs.

“They’re good. I switched my major to art though,” she smiles. “I’m really happy with it.”

“That’s good.” Bellamy smiles softly at her. “I told you to go with that three years ago but you didn’t listen to me.”

“Well in _my_ defense, I really thought it was what I wanted to do. Now, I’m planning on teaching art therapy.”

“It suits you, princess.”

Clarke can feel her heart flip at the old nickname again, and she runs her flip-flop over the sandy wood, biting at the inside of her cheek. “What about you? How’s business?”

“In the fucking dust,” he laughs. “I’m majoring in History.”

“I guess we need to get better at listening to each other, huh?” Clarke laughs, too. The last night they saw each other, at a party he threw, they talked about going into college and they both had issues with what each other was majoring in. _I guess that just goes to show how well we knew each other_.

“Yeah,” he nods his head a little, the smile still on his face. “Maybe.”

When they get up to the window, the two people making the drinks behind the bar look at them like they’re a little crazy, which, ordering eight drinks between two people is a little insane, but the bartenders shrug and get to work on the drinks, with one of them pulling out two traveling carriers for them to use. Clarke doesn’t get I.D’ed and after they’ve paid, the two of them make their way back to their friends.

Even after all these years, there’s still just inherently right and comfortable about being next to Bellamy that has Clarke’s mind reeling. They’ve always fallen together seamlessly, even if they did argue about stuff from time to time. She thinks back to the last night they saw each other, and how she kicked his ass at beer bong and how even though he got pissed, one car ride later after screaming along to the songs they loved when they were younger she was the only one who was able to get him to calm down. Even when they talked for a few weeks after that, before she had to stop talking to him because she knew that having his name under someone else’s, wasn’t good. She didn’t want to hide the fact that she was friends with him, but she also knew that Lexa wasn’t exactly happy that they talked. When the two of them first got together, Clarke told her about Bellamy and Wells, and while Lexa was fine with her being friends with Wells, she didn’t seem to like Bellamy. Even though she and him weren’t talking at that point.

“Ooh, what’d you get us?” Harper sits up on her towel and moves her sunglasses to look at Clarke. “It looks pretty.”

“It’s called a Caribbean Cooler. Apparently it’s their specialty.” Clarke hands her and Wells their drinks, and once she has hers in her hand, Bellamy takes the tray from her and calls for the rest of his friends to come get their drinks.

“So, birthday girl,” Bellamy drawls, sitting in the chair next to hers. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. Did y’all have anything planned?” She asks, looking around at everyone, and Bellamy shrugs.

“We can figure something out.”

So, after Clarke finishes her drink, she ends up in the deeper part of the water where the waves begin to crest, unable to really feel the bottom. Everyone else seems to be doing fine with where they’re at, but Clarke finds herself struggling a little. It’s not that she’s a bad swimmer, she just hasn’t really swam in a while. Harper is further out than she is, but she’s doing laps.

A big wave comes and Clarke holds her breath as she goes under the water, and she begins to wonder how good of an idea this was. She’s been drinking and even though she wouldn’t say she’s _drunk_ , she’s definitely getting tired.

“Clarke, you okay?” Bellamy calls, and Clarke has a little trouble nodding her head.

“Peachy,” she says, trying to keep her mouth out of the water. “But did y’all really have to come _this_ far out?”

“Oh, yeah,” Bellamy grins, “you’re short.”

She glares at him. “If I could splash you I would.”

“But you can’t,” he smiles. “Here.” Bellamy swims towards her, reaching his hand out to her and Clarke takes it, only to have Bellamy pull her into his chest. She places her hands on his shoulders, and even though her natural instinct is to wrap her legs around his waist, she doesn’t. “Better?”

Clarke’s breath catches as she looks at him. His freckles are darker and the saltwater is weighing down his curls, plastering them to the side of his head even though they’re trying to break free. The last time she was this close to him, he had his arm around her while they walked down the road at his party, talking about when they were younger. They were both drunk, then.

“Yeah,” she whispers, and she’s rewarded with a smile from him.

“Get on my back, I’ll keep you with me.”

Bellamy continues to smile at her as she moves herself around him, still holding onto his shoulders, and then she finally lets her legs wrap around him. His skin is warm on hers despite the temperature of the water, and his hands come to rest just above her knees, even though he doesn’t exactly need to hold her. And that’s how they stay.

They jump the waves for a bit, with Clarke holding onto Bellamy anytime he moved and resting her chin on his shoulder whenever they were just talking to their friends. No one makes any move to go back into shallower water, so Clarke just accepts the fact that she’s going to have to stay wrapped around Bellamy for the time being. But she can’t say that she really minds.

She doesn’t know how long they’re out there, but one “Okay, I feel myself burning” comment from Jasper and they’re heading back to the shore. When Clarke unhooks her legs from Bellamy’s waist, he lets her go and she slides down his back until her feet are firmly on the sandy floor. They smile at each other, and then they’re back to making their way to their chairs. She probably just spent at least an hour on his back, which probably shouldn’t have happened in the first place, and now she needs to reapply sunscreen which if she hadn’t brought the spray kind then there’s no telling what would have stopped her from asking Bellamy to get her back.

Her feet leave the sand and her entire body is out of the water before she can comprehend what’s happening and then all she can hear is Bellamy laughing before she’s flying through the air and crashing back down into the water. She splutters when she comes up and Bellamy just grins at her.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”

“Bellamy!” Clarke charges towards him, but Bellamy only laughs more as he tries to run away, and Clarke is left splashing through the water after him.

“Uh-oh. Angry princess,” he teases, and Clarke huffs.

“Asshole.”

“I never claimed to be anything else.” Bellamy stops moving and grins at her, and Clarke launches herself at him. They both fall back into the water with Clarke’s hands on Bellamy’s shoulders, and when they come up, Bellamy picks her up and she wraps her legs around his waist this time. “Got you.”

 _His smile_. The way he looks at her makes her heart ache, and Clarke can feel herself losing the battle against not wanting to smile, so she rolls her eyes. “I’ll get you back for this.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see.”

The two of them stay there, just looking at each other, and suddenly Clarke feels the need to get out of there. She can’t still be attracted to someone she’s only seen twice in the past six years. _Can I?_ Bellamy’s thumbs rub a path up and down the side of her thighs, and she twirls one of his curls at the nape of his neck around her finger.

“How about another drink?”

“Yeah,” he nods his head, and slowly her feet come back to the ground, “a drink sounds good.”

Of course, walking up to their chair Clarke gets looks from Wells and Harper, but she tries to ignore them. _I know. I’m being stupid_. She grabs her towel and begins drying off as Wells hands her the bottle of sunscreen, then Murphy is there asking what everyone wants to drink. No one really seems to have any preference for what they’re given, but before Clarke can look at Bellamy he’s being pulled towards the bar by his friend.

“So, Clarke,” Jasper begins as he moves his towel under one of the umbrellas, “how long have you and Bellamy been friends?”

Despite the heat, Clarke feels like her cheeks are pink. “We kind of always went to school together, but we didn’t become friends until eighth grade. But we fell off when he transferred.”

“We met him in college,” Monty says. “Freshman year.”

“The last time I saw him was right before then,” Clarke smiles. “He threw a party and I kicked his ass at beerbong.”

“So, that’s why he was so keen on trying to beat everyone,” Miller smirks. “I think you bruised his ego.”

“Well, he’s already had a bigger one than he needs. I think I did him a service.”

“Did who a service?” Bellamy’s voice comes from behind her and Clarke has to keep herself from jumping.

“I think I did your ego a service by beating you at beerbong.” Clarke smirks as she takes the drink he hands her, and Bellamy raises an eyebrow.

“If anything I think that win went to your head.” Clarke can hear the amusement in his voice.

“Says the man who tried to beat me two more times and lost.”

“What? You want a rematch?” Bellamy walks up to her, crossing his arms over his chest.

She steps forward, too, and mimics him, looking up into his eyes. “Do you?”

“I know I want to see it,” Murphy says from somewhere off to the side, and Clarke grins.

“Then, let’s find some beer and a funnel.”

“Got it!” Jasper holds up a funnel with two hoses connected to it, and Murphy walks up to him, holding up his plastic cup.

“And I got the beer.”

Clarke isn’t sure if there’s anything against people doing this on the beach, since she doesn’t see anyone else doing it but she also knows that there aren’t any cops walking around and ID-ing people. But, no one seems worried as Clarke hands her drink off to Harper and Bellamy hands his off to Monty and then Bellamy is grabbing Clarke’s hand and pulling her towards Jasper and Murphy.

They each take one of the hoses and Murphy pours in the beer. Like that night, Bellamy’s hand comes to wrap around her waist and Clarke wraps hers around him as they get ready. Once Jasper calls go and holds up the funnel, Clarke tilts her head back and drinks. Also like that night, she’s surprised at how easy it is for her since she was always worried about choking, and before she knows it she’s holding the hose out, watching as only a couple of drops fall to the sand. Bellamy follows right after her, but Clarke smiles triumphantly at him.

“I win.”

Bellamy’s lips press together and she watches as he tries not to smile. He glances at the funnel and the hoses before looking back at her, the corner of his mouth turning up. “Long live the princess.”

“Damn right.”

Harper and Monty are the ones who offer to grab more beer and Clarke makes her way back to her chair and grabs the sunscreen. If she doesn’t reapply it soon then she’ll probably end up with a sunburn that lasts weeks and she’s not really looking forward to that. She’s also not looking forward to the amount of sand she knows will probably follow her back home, but that will be worth it.

After she’s reapplied her sunscreen and she’s sitting down in her chair, she picks up her drink and leans over towards Bellamy holding it up. “Cheers me.”

Bellamy laughs as he taps her plastic cup with his. “To celebrating your birthday.”

“And finding old friends,” she adds softly, and Bellamy’s eyes crinkle as he smiles wider.

“And finding old friends.”

Eventually, the sun disappears and most of the beach is clear when the moon emerges from behind the clouds, and Clarke is sitting on a blanket in front of the fire that’s been made. Some of their friends are stepping out into the water trying to find fish, but Clarke and Bellamy are sitting side by side, taking sips of their drinks. For the most part, they've all put their clothes back on, and Clarke can feel that her face is slightly tight, so she wouldn’t be surprised if she got back to the room and saw she had a sunburn.

“So, I have to ask,” Bellamy says softly, and she turns from the fire to look at him, “no boyfriend?” 

“No.” She shakes her head. “How did you know Lexa and I broke up?” 

“I got on Facebook for the first time and years and saw that your status was changed to single. And then when I got on it again to completely deactivate it I saw you were tagged in a guy’s pictures from your anniversary. So, I figured—”

“Where is he?” She finishes, and Bellamy nods.

“Yeah.”

Clarke bites at her bottom lip as the sound of Harper laughing catches her attention. Monty has picked her up and he spins around with her in his arms, and it pulls a smile to Clarke’s face. She’s not entirely sure what this night has in store for her, or her friend, but she knows that she and Bellamy need some time alone to figure some things out.

“Want to take a walk?” She asks, looking towards Bellamy, and he smiles a little.

“Sure.” 

They stand and Clarke reaches down and picks up the blanket that they had been sitting on and then they’re making their way down the beach. It’s cooler now than it had been and she holds the blanket in front of her, but the alcohol that’s still in her keeps her a little warmer.

“It was getting kind of bad, Bell,” Clarke says softly when they’re a little ways away from their friends. “Like Finn was a huge asshole, but the guy I was dating, Cillian, he was just...I don’t know. He was so nice at first, but after a while that pretty much disappeared.”

“Were you living alone with him?”

“No, I was living in a dorm and he was sharing a house with a couple of his friends. First it was that he didn’t quite like me and Wells being friends, but I told him that Wells has been in my life from the beginning so nothing was going to change that. It would get worse when he drank, so when we were at parties if he felt like I wasn’t giving him enough attention he would get upset and tell me I only went because I wanted to ditch him. He accused me of flirting with other people more times than I can count, and it got to the point where if I brought my phone into the bathroom for any amount of time then he thought I was doing _something_ on it.”

Clarke shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have stayed with him for as long as I did, but I guess that’s always been one of my problems. I want to try and help people.”

“You want to fix them,” Bellamy corrects, and Clarke can feel her cheeks heat up. “When you met me, I was a boy from a broken home who used sarcasm and jokes to cover up the fact that I hated how my life was. And you wanted to fix that.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” she whispers, and Bellamy stops walking, turning to look at her.

“I don’t want you to be sorry, Clarke.” He takes a step forward, and she watches as the white moonlight glides across his skin. With the lights that are on by the road, she can see his dark eyes and the freckles scattered all over his face. “You were the first person I ever felt like actually cared about me. Even though I was too stubborn to realize it, what you said to me helped. And, when I got older, I actually sat down with my mom and talked about it. She had broken up with her boyfriend and I could tell that she was tired, but I told her everything. How I felt, what I thought, what I believed needed to be changed, all of the things you told me to talk about when we were younger. Sure, you wanted to try and fix me, and even though I didn’t _want_ to be fixed, I realized you were right.”

Clarke stays there for a moment, too stunned to really say anything. Yeah, when they were young teenagers she wanted to help him. She wanted to help everyone, especially those she cared about, but she’s never wanted to help someone as much as she wanted him to be happy.

“You didn’t tell me this at the party,” she murmurs, and Bellamy smiles down at her.

“It was a _party_. You already didn’t know how to have fun and I didn’t want to ruin your progress by bringing that up.”

“I know how to have fun!” She protests, and Bellamy chuckles.

“I know you do. _Now_.”

Clarke snorts and Bellamy wraps his arm around her shoulders as they continue walking, and she wraps hers around his waist. They walk for a little longer, and then they come to a small formation of rocks that jut out over the sand slightly. Deciding it’s a nice place to sit, Clarke slips from under Bellamy’s arm and spreads the blanket out. Here, there aren’t any buildings right behind them, and it doesn’t look like anyone really comes here, either. The two of them sit down and Clarke pulls her knees into her chest, looking out at the ocean. The water is such a dark blue it looks almost black, and the moon’s reflection breaks on the waves.

“So, how did you end it?” 

His question breaks her out of her reverie and Clarke takes a deep breath. “We were in my dorm and my roommate was gone. I quit bringing my phone into the bathroom when he was around so it was sitting on my nightstand. When I got out of the shower he was going through it. He knew my password but I wasn’t allowed to know his and any time I brought up the fact that he always hid his password from me he just kind of shrugged it off. Well, just the fact that he was going through my phone was enough to piss me off and I threw him out.” Clarke sighs. “It should have been a long time ago.”

“Well, I’m glad you did it. I couldn’t imagine how us running into each other would have ended if he was here.”

“Oh, he would have lost his mind.” She laughs, and Bellamy’s shoulder knocks into hers. “How could I have explained _you_ ? I mean, ‘hey, this is the person who used to be my best friend and even though we’ve only seen each other twice in the last six years I—” She stops herself. _Fuck_.

“You what?”

Clarke shivers, turning her face to look at him. _He’s so beautiful it hurts_. His eyes never leave hers as she inhales quietly and she laughs a little. _Well, here goes nothing_. “I’ve been in love with you since we were thirteen,” she whispers, “it just took me a while to realize exactly what it was.”

Bellamy says nothing as he looks at her, and just when Clarke begins to wonder if she just ruined everything, he leans over and kisses her. His skin feels warm, and she wonders if it’s from the fire or if he just always feels like this. She can taste the strawberries on his lips and when his tongue finds hers, she hums softly. She would be lying if she said she never thought about what it would be like to kiss him, and it’s amazing.

When they pull apart from each other, Bellamy smiles the same soft smile she’s been seeing all day, and her heart melts. “I’m in love with you, too.”

Clarke giggles as she leans in for another kiss, and Bellamy leans into her, his weight bringing her down to the blanket they’re on. She lets herself tangle her fingers in his hair, feeling how his curls wrap around them, and he hums when she grazes her nails over his scalp. His hands are holding her, with one cradling the back of her head while the other grips her hip. They both smell of sunscreen and fruit, and she loves how he feels on top of her.

Her hands move from his hair to his shirt and Bellamy sits up so he can pull it off, and Clarke smiles as she runs her hands over his upper body. She’s felt it a lot today, but not like _this_. When he settles back on top of her, he trails kisses down her neck, stopping to suck at her pulse point before moving towards her chest. She still has her swimsuit on under her thin white button up shirt, and Bellamy undoes the buttons slowly until her shirt is following his somewhere off in the sand.

“Bellamy,” she murmurs when she’s laying back down again, “if this happens, I can’t lose you.” Just the thought of having to spend more years without him causes a lump to form in her throat, but she swallows over it.

“I’m never leaving you again. I promise.” He leans down to kiss her, his arms wrapping her back up and pressing her into him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

As they continue to kiss, his shorts disappear, as does her swim top and her shorts and bottoms until she can feel him pressing against her. He reaches down, slipping one finger in her and Clarke’s breath catches. He watches her as he slips another one in, and he curses under his breath.

“God, you’re wet.”

“Mhm.” Clarke bites at her bottom lip as she tries to grind down on his hand. “I’ve been wet since I saw you on the beach.”

“Thank god I’m not the only one.” Bellamy smiles as he leans down to kiss her and Clarke reaches around his hand to grab his cock. _Fuck, he’s big_. She looks down at it, and the sight sends a wave of pleasure through her. Usually, she would be all for foreplay, and she _really_ wants to put him in her mouth, but they’re on a public beach and she’s horny and she knows for a fact that if she’s gone for too long then Wells and Harper will come looking for her.

“Bell,” she whines, “I want to feel you.” Bellamy actually pouts when he pulls his fingers out of her and Clarke giggles as he settles between her legs. “You can pick up where you left off later,” she murmurs, and Bellamy kisses the side of her mouth.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

They go back to kissing for a moment but when she wraps her legs around his waist Bellamy seems to get the hint. He runs his tip through her folds and a soft moan falls from Clarke’s lips at the feeling before he finally presses into her. All of the air is knocked from Clarke’s lungs and she looks up at Bellamy as he rolls his hips and seats himself inside of her. 

“Fuck, you’re tight,” he moans, and she clenches and unclenches around him, trying to get used to having something this big splitting her in two, and Bellamy kisses her then. 

She’s not drunk, but having him inside of her and feeling his body pressing into hers makes her head feel light. All of the nights they spent talking, and especially the nights they spent together always left her feeling intoxicated and now she understands why. She was always high on _him_. The guy who always had a gleam in his eye and a penchant for doing things that he shouldn’t be doing.

They continue to look at each other as he begins to move, and Clarke holds him close to her. The way he looks with the moon shining down on him is something she wants to remember forever. She may even try to draw it the first chance she gets, just to make sure she really never forgets it. He sucks at her neck again and Clarke shivers, pulling him closer to try and fuse their bodies together.

“Bellamy,” she pants, and his mouth is back on hers. She fits together better with him than she ever did with anyone else, and the thought sends her reeling. “ _Bell._ ”

“Clarke.” Bellamy’s voice is rough and his breath is hot as it fans out across her skin. He lifts off her and she whines until his thumb finds her clit, and she tries to stifle a moan.

“Bellamy.” Her voice comes out nearly as a sob, and he presses down harder on her clit, rubbing tight circles against it. “Bell, I’m so close.”

Her eyes find his, and holding his gaze feels intense. Her body warms and her muscles clench, and she can barely hear him say, “Come for me, Clarke,” as she comes around his cock. Bellamy groans, and even though she can feel his arm shaking by her head, he doesn’t let up with rubbing her until she can feel him spill inside her. Bellamy’s hand tangles in her hair as he moans into her neck, and Clarke holds him against her, her walls still fluttering around him. 

They’re both spent and breathing heavy as Bellamy pushes himself off her and pulls her back into his chest. She feels warm, and relaxed, and so _tired_ , that she yawns into his skin, and she can feel him chuckle before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“I feel like I’m dreaming,” he murmurs, and Clarke smiles as she reaches over and pinches his bicep. “Ow, what was that for?”

“To show you that you’re not dreaming,” she says, smiling up at him, and Bellamy bites at his bottom lip as she watches him try not to smile. 

“You’re still a handful.”

“And you’re not?” Clarke arches an eyebrow at him, and Bellamy gives her a lopsided grin.

“I never said that.” They both lay there as they laugh, and then Clarke leans her head up and gives him a kiss. “And as much as I hate to say this, I think we should head back. We’re butt ass naked on the beach and I don’t feel like waking up to a cop poking me with his baton.” Clarke laughs as he gives her another kiss, and then they pull apart, trying to figure out where their clothes are.

They walk back to their friends hand in hand and even though everyone smirks at them, they don’t say anything as they settle around the fire for a little longer. Then, when it comes time for them to head back to their rooms, Clarke finds herself wrapped up in Bellamy’s bed as she falls asleep, his promise of never leaving her again echoing in her ears.

And they don’t leave each other again. When they go back home, they find that they’re not as far away from each other as they thought, and when they both graduate, they move in together. Not long after, Bellamy makes the same promise to her that he did on the beach while he’s down on one knee, and he makes the promise to their children whenever they’re born. And for the rest of her life, Clarke finds herself incapable of picturing it going any other way. She realizes he was always the one she was going to end up with, even when they both didn’t know it. 

She was always going to be in love with her best friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Soo...thoughts? Comments? Did you like it? Did you hate it? I'd love to hear from you!! Thank you so much for reading :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> Xx
> 
> You can find me on...  
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> Twitter: awalknwonderlnd


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